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September 17, 2018

The Other Bill Geist

After inadvertently starting a small online ruckus after posting a piece entitled "Saying Farewell" (I was just moving...not stepping away), all the online pieces about Bill Geist's retirement are bound to raise a few eyebrows.

We two Bills have had led curiously connected lives. Both from Illinois. Both authored books (his sold considerably more than mine). Both of us have spent time on TV (he on CBS Sunday Morning; me on the CBS affiliate in Madison WI). And, we both have daughters named Elizabeth (his goes by Libby; mine by Liz). We have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (but he earned it).

We've never met face-to-face, but corresponded via e-mail. That I own the billgeist.com domain, I would often receive story ideas meant for him. I would dutifully pass them on.

I met his son Willie a couple years ago. When I introduced myself, he said, "Oh yeah...you're the guy from Wisconsin." Too funny.